Urogynecology Division

From pelvic organ prolapse to incontinence, our specialists at New York
Hospital Queens can offer the most advanced symptom relief and
treatments available to women today. Urogynecology is a subspecialty of
gynecology that treats problems related to the pelvic floor, pelvic
organ anatomy and urinary tract function in women. This includes
urinary and fecal incontinence, pelvic organ, prolapse
genitourinary fistulas and congenital female genital anomalies.

At New York Hospital Queens, many pelvic floor conditions can be managed
with minimally invasive therapies with a fast recovery time. We use
state-of-art diagnostic equipment, in-office multi-channel urodynamic
testing, cystoscopy, and proven therapies.

What is the Pelvic Floor?

The pelvic floor is a term we use to describe the muscles, ligaments and
connective tissue that provide support for a woman’s internal organs
(including the bowel, bladder, uterus, vagina, and rectum). Not only
does the pelvic floor prevent these organs from falling down or out, but
it also plays a very important role in making the organs function
properly. The brain controls the muscles of the pelvic floor by way of
nerves. Any medical conditions or injuries that impact the health of
nerves (such as diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, stroke, back surgery,
spinal stenosis, or childbirth trauma) can result in weakness of the
pelvic floor muscles.

What are Pelvic Floor Disorders?

Women with weakness of the pelvic muscles or tears in the connective
tissue may begin to have problems controlling their bladder and bowels.
They often describe urine leakage (urinary incontinence), bowel gas or
stool leakage (anal incontinence), difficulty emptying their bladder
(voiding dysfunction), overactive bladder, or having a bowel movement
(constipation).

Some women also feel or see tissue coming out of the opening of their
vagina. This can be a prolapse of the uterus or the walls of the vagina.
We provide surgical correction of the pelvic floor to treat pelvic
prolapse. Pelvic prolapse can manifest in the form of a “bulge” from the
vagina. This “bulge” may be a cystocele, rectocele, enterocele or
prolapse of the uterus. In most cases, this can be repaired vaginally
through a variety of procedures to restore the normal anatomy. Often a
laparoscopic approach can be performed to achieve restoration of the
normal anatomy. This involves the suspension of the pelvic organs and
various pelvic ligaments.

It is possible to experience one or several of these signs and symptoms
of pelvic floor disorders. We encourage you to contact us and learn how
we can help improve your quality of life by treating your incontinence
or prolapse issues.

Urogynecological Conditions:

Urinary Incontinence- the involuntary loss of
urine

Stress Incontinence- the involuntary loss of
urine with physical stress, such as cough

Urge Incontinence- the sudden loss of urine
associated with an uncomfortable urge,

Pelvic Prolapse- a hernia formed by the uterus/
bladder/ or bowel into or through the vagina. Common terms for
prolapse include a dropped uterus, dropped bladder, cystocele,
or rectocele.

Voiding Dysfunction- incomplete bladder
emptying, urinary frequency, and painful urination. The causes
of these symptoms may be a bladder condition, or may be caused
by a dysfunction of the nerves and muscles in the pelvis around
the bladder. The earlier these problems are treated, the more
likely they are to be cured. Left untreated, urinary retention
can lead to permanent kidney damage.

Chronic Cystitis/Interstitial Cystitis- many
women will experience a bladder infection or an acute cystitis,
which is easily treated with antibiotics. It is not normal to
have the symptoms of urgency, frequency and pain with urination
persist for weeks or months. It is also not normal to have these
symptoms return more than twice in 6 months.

Fistula or Diverticulum- urine collects in a
pouch within the urethra, or flows directly through an abnormal
tract into the vagina.

Fecal Incontinence – the inability to control
bowel movements, causing stool to leak unexpectedly from the
rectum. It ranges from an occasional leakage of stool while
passing gas to a complete loss of bowel control.

Rectovaginal fistula – an abnormal connection
between the rectum and vagina resulting in abnormal leakage of
feces or gas per vagina, can be the result of surgical or
obstetrical trauma

Urogynecological Treatment

At New York Hospital Queens we offer a range of treatment options for
patients, including non-surgical and conservative methods, medication
therapy and surgical options.